Over 107 survivors of the June 13, 2025, Yelwata attack by armed herders are still receiving treatment at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi.
. In the incident, 200 people including women and children were killed.
The massacre attracted national and global condemnation.
The executive secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, Sir James Iropuu, disclosed this when he received the director-general of the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA Ben Akwash and the secretary of Plateau State relief agency Sunday Abdu in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
He decried the sustained attack, which started in 2011, is increasing by the day.
Iropuu said, “The visit of Nasarawa and Plateau SEMA will strengthen our bond and unity, especially with my Nasarawa counterpart, so that we can strategise on how to stop the attackers from using Nasarawa to invade communities.”
In their seperate remarks, Akwash and E Abdu said they were in Benue to commiserate with the state government and people of the state over the Yelwata attack and other killings in the state.
They added that the visit was to study the secrets behind the success of the humanitarian management in Benue.
The officials said “the collaborative efforts of the three states in the humanitarian space would yield positive results to end the killings and destruction of farms by the marauding herders.
While assuring that the injury to Benue is an injury to all the neighbouring states, they said no matter the amount of aggression on us, especially Plateau and Benue, we will continue to grow in strength as we visit God in prayers, he will secure the lives of the people in the North Central from further attacks.
“They said we are here also to explore more ideas for responding to humanitarian crises and disaster management to reduce attacks on communities in all states in the North Central region.
“Our coming here is to also interface, interact and strategise on how we can get ready through awareness creation, sensitisation of communities in the area of the recent flood alert, as you know, Benue is always on the red alert, so we need to come together and advance ways to nip it in the bud.”
Earlier, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Benue State chapter, Comrade Bemdoo Ugber, promised that his members would continue to sensitise communities on the need to move from safer places and engage the government and other stakeholders to see how they can beef up security at the border areas to end the crisis.
